Boxes of Red Cedar
#11
Seems I have a nice supply of thin Aromatic Red Cedar slats.....had to buy a carton of the stuff....to get 4 slats for the bottom of a Blanket Chest project.....Which left a big stack of stuff like this....
Rolleyes  
   
Thought about those small souvenir boxes places are always trying to sell.....Thought maybe I'd try a few..

First attempt....after the tongue and grooves were ripped off...was made using finger/box joints...
   
Dry fit....decided to glue the top and bottom in place....after things were cleaned up..
   
And a marking gauge run around...
   
So I could slice off the lid..
   
Plane away the saw marks...try some way too big hinges...
   
And, of course the last screw used here, split the wood....added a latch, too..no splits there, though...
Rolleyes 
   
And a handle on each end...
   
needed a brush to apply a coat of varnish.....

And a lot of "issues" with the finger joints...oops
No 
   
Decided the next versions will use ...dovetails...
   

Stay tuned...
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#12
Cedar Box #2...
Was out of practice doing them dovetails....even thought a scrollsaw could help...
Uhoh
   
Pins first, by hand....tails by scrollsaw....well, it was just a thought....Pins on one corner were cut backwards....so that mess was sawn off...
   
back to Olde School...
   
Interesting fact...that is an older version of the Stanley Bevel Gauge....the angled end matches the angle of the dovetails I was doing....the newer versions are too...pointy
Confused
   
Made layouts a lot easier.   Was finally able to get this glued up..
   
let it sit a day....then clean and square it up...
   
And slice the lid off....block plane to remove the saw marks...so the lid will sit a bit better than Version 1 did...
   
Corners didn't look too bad, either...
Rolleyes
   

Was out of hinges, latches and handles...Road Trip to Hobby Lobby yesterday....$14 and change...and no wrecks in the snow..
Winkgrin
   
Should last a few boxes.   It was cheaper for me to just drive up there, than to pay for them to ship the parts to me...called being FRUGAL, not cheap...
   
I also remembered to pick up some brushes, while out & about.....
Winkgrin

Wondering about a tray of some kind.....splayed out sides...handle down the middle?  Or..no handle?    Tray bottom a glued up affair?   Dovetails on the corners? 

Have plenty of stock to work from....carton is sold as Closet Liner.....15 sq ft of 1/4" T&G 4" wide, random length.....smooth one side...$30....
Upset

So....maybe a post about working with ( or, around) this stuff?
Confused

stay tuned...
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#13
Noticed the angle on the old bevel square but didn't think about it. Good observation. Working with thin woods give me fits, guess I have to learn not to be so heavy hanged
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#14
Loaded up a box, and headed to the shop...
Winkgrin  
   
Took a couple trips...Box #1....Camera....Brushes....I think I got everything..
Rolleyes 
Laid out where the hinges will go..
   
To be followed by another...
   

Then, since the hinges were out...removed the huge clunky ones from Box #1...and used the smaller hinges to replace them..
Cool
   
Block plane to level the patches, round a few edges.....

Box #2 also gets a latch....front of the box had a high spot...
   
had being the operative word..
   

and then something to carry the box around with...
   
Then both got a good sanding, a bit more plane work, and more sanding.....then a good wipe down.  Then brushed on some varnish...
   
Just on all the outside surfaces...trying NOT to get any on the insides...
   
Then set out all the remaining Red Cedar boards...away from the drying varnish...
   
To sort through for parts for a tray...or 2....

Waiting on the varnish to dry overnight....then rub it out,,and see about a second coat....

as for the Tray? 
Stay tuned....
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#15
I use red cedar for a lot of outdoor applications.  I made several largish (2'x4') planter boxes and a cold frame about 10 years ago, and they are still going strong.
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#16
Second coat has been rubbed out.   Smaller of the two boxes has been delivered....Wife's pastor gets a little present each year about this time....larger box is still awaiting a place to go...

Ok...parts for a tray...
   
Did not like the way the T&G were lining up....ripped those off...trying for about 12" length by 9" width...was able to do a glue up...
   
trying to install a c clamp onto 2 cauls, while holding the panel and the cauls steady.....and tightening the clamp...FUN
Uhoh 

Another short section of plank, was ripped down the center..
   
Edges were jointed so the 2 will match each other..
   
These planks have one smooth face, and one a bit....rough....smoother took care of the rough..
   
Used these "ends" to help lay out the handled sides...
   
Then drill a 1" diameter hole at one end of the handle....and fire up the scrollsaw..
   
To get something like this...
Cool  
   
And, of course, had to smooth plane the rough side...smooth, again 
   
Waiting on the glue up..
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#17
During Laundry Detail.....clamps removed from the glued up panel....panel was trimmed for square....ripped a bit for width...then over to the bench..
Winkgrin
   
To clean off dried glue, and level the glue joints.   one face was already smooth...the other face was very rough sawn....
   
Stanley No. 3, Type 11 took care of both.....so, maybe Tuesday, I can work on the corner joints?
   
As soon as I figure out which to use....
Confused

Stay tuned...
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#18
Laundry Detail, good enough for an hour or two in the shop? 
Winkgrin  Rounded up a few tools..
Rolleyes 
   
Then a bit of layout...pins first, of course..
   
use a big saw to make a few cuts...
Rolleyes  
   
Chop out the waste...
   
Oops....try better with the next set...at least that will be on the inside...
Rolleyes 

use the pins to lay out the tails....bandsaw to saw those out...
   
I might just be getting the hang of doing these...
Winkgrin 

had an issue with corner #4.....enough that it became Corner #3...and redo #4....
   
Then lay this mess down on the panel, to see how close a fit I came up with...
Rolleyes  
   
So...the next night's Laundry Detail.......
   
Set things over on the "assembly table"   set up some clamps....spread some glue all around...
   
Dovetails were tight enough to not really need the longer clamps,,,,had plenty of C clamps to use, though...
Rolleyes
   
Towels were dry, so I left this alone for the night....may check on it, later today...

Stay tuned
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#19
Clamps came off today, trying to clean up the glue joints, was a matter of HOW to hold the tray securely enough...as I did have some end grain to plane on the ends of the tray..soooo
Rolleyes  
   
handles made things a bit tricky...end grain was sticking out a bit more than the end of the tray was....I also rounded over the edges a bit....then tried the sides...can't use the vise, handles would not take being clamped too well.....while I was using a plane...so 
   
Later added a second clamp...
Cool  
   
Around the inside of the handles....I used a dremel sanding drum....to round over the grips a bit....areas where the planes can't get to....Other curved spots around the top edges, a S. Smith & Sons do a bit of work..
Winkgrin 
   
Then sanded everything to 320 grit, and then wiped it all nice and clean....then a coat of varnish....and then, on the 2nd try, I got a piece of plexiglass to fit inside the tray..
Cool
   
Letting the still wet varnish "glue" the plexi in place...let this sit until the weekend...be a little busy tomorrow..

Stay tuned....
Cool
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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#20
And...back to box making...I went through all the remaining Cedar slats.....cut out the worst of the knots...removed the nasty T&Gs from the factory...Then see what I can make...

Well, two fairly long and almost clear slats want to get "curvy"   clamped them up in the vise, to flatten the curves...
Rolleyes  
   
Then sorted through a few more...got 2 to almost match....
   
One a lot shorter than the other?   Going to be the ends for the next box....but..I needed a second such panel..
Winkgrin 
   
Let these 2 panels sit a day..or 2
Rolleyes ....Then sorted a couple sides for the box...
   
haven't decided on the exact length...yet
Confused  Plus...i have all of this...
   
To find a use for....maybe compartments inside the box?    Bottom of the box will be some 1/4" plywood....

Stay tuned....
Winkgrin
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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